Cord Sandberg came up with a crucial touchdown late in the fourth quarter to help Manatee prevail.
File photo by Stuart Browning
BRADENTON, Fla. -
Manatee's (Bradenton, Fla.) formula Friday went like this: Put the ball in the hands of its poised quarterback. Put the game in the hands of its stout defense.
Enjoy the spoils of victory.
Manatee outlasted
Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) in front of over 6,000 fans at Hawkins Stadium, defeating Dwyer 19-14 in a Class 7A state semifinal.
Undefeated against Florida teams this season, Manatee (12-2) is back in the state final for the second time in three years, and meets Jacksonville First Coast (14-0) at 7 p.m. Friday for the state championship.
"You saw two heavyweights slugging it out there," said Manatee coach Joe Kinnan, a state finalist for the seventh time.
Manatee delivered the two biggest blows. The first came from junior quarterback
Cord Sanderg, whose 21-yard touchdown with 2:56 remaining gave Manatee a 19-14.
Sandberg, who ran for 47 yards, called a similar play earlier, but slipped after gaining two yards.
"We came back to it. Luckily, it was open," he said. "And I kept my footing."
Dwyer, however, did not go out quietly and returned the ensuing kickoff to its own 43-yard line.
It got to Manatee's 32, and then the 25, before Dwyer's star quarterback,
Faton Bauta, came up limp after a 2-yard loss.
The Georgia-bound Bauta single-handedly mauled Manatee, rushing for 151 yards and two touchdowns. The 6-foot-3, 223-pound senior was hard to bring down. But with its star on the sideline, the Dwyer went to backup quarterback and kicker
Bobby Puyol.
With 1:07 on the clock, the ball on Manatee's 27 and Dwyer out of first downs, Puyol uncorked a low throw that
Johnnie Dixon was unable to handle.
Manatee melted the clock and sealed another trip to the state final. Manatee, winners of four state titles, lost to Tampa Plant 21-14 in the 2009 Class 5A state championship game.
Friday, Manatee will be looking for its first state championship since 1992.
"Obviously, your goal is to win it all," said Sandberg, who was in uniform but didn't play during the 2009 final. "Actually, having a chance at a state championship, there's nothing like it. I'm excited to go out there."
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